Key retainer

ABSTRACT

A key retainer having a hollow support including a front wall with narrow slots each terminating in an enlarged opening. A Ushaped spring within the support with one leg spaced from the slots and lying against said enlarged openings. Key retaining loops each having an enlarged end portion movable through said enlarged opening to depress the spring and engage a slit, the spring then removably retaining the loop in engagement with said slot.

United States Patent [1 1 1 3,815,392 Laufer June 11, 1974 [54] KEY RETAINER 3,700,392 10/1972 Shears 20/456 B 7 l t Be kL fr,3900c Pk 6] men or gg g s y Primary ExammerRobert L. Wolfe [22] Filed: July 21, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT Appl' 274,067 A key retainer having a hollow support including a front wall with narrow slots each terminating in an en- 52 us. Cl 70/456 B larged p A P Spring within the pp [51] Int. Cl A47g 29/10 with one g pa d from the slots and lying against [58] Field of Search ..Q 70/456-459; Said enlarged Openings y retaining loops each 150 40; 24/3 K ing an enlarged end portion movable through said enlarged opening to depress the spring and engage a slit, [56] References Cit d the spring then removably retaining the loop in engagement Wlth Said SlOtv 3.132.504 5/1964 Beilis 70/4516 B 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 KEY RETAINER This invention relates to key retainers and more specifically to a novel and improved retainer having a plurality of key retaining loops or clips pivotally secured to a common support and wherein the individual loops or clips can be quicklyand easily removed from and attached to the common support.

Numerous key retaining structures have been suggestedutilizing a variety of means for removably attaching key retaining loops to a support, but known structures are relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture. Moreover, prior procedures for attaching loops to a support and removing them therefrom required careful manipulation so that keys could not be quickly and easily removed and inserted in the retainer. This invention overcomes the difficulties heretofore encountered with known key retainers and provides a novel and improved structure characterized by its simplicity, low cost, and ease of manufacture and operation.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel and improved key retainer requiring deliberate force to remove a key retaining loop from the support and, at the same time, permits the loop to be easily attached to the support.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel and improved support and spring means for removably retaining key engaging loops.

The key retainer in accordance with the invention includes a support having an enlarged upper portion and a narrowed lower portion with slots in the wall of the upper portion and extending to the lower portion where each slot terminates in an enlarged opening. An inverted U-shaped spring is disposed within the support and bears against and closes the enlarged portions of said slots. Key retaining loops have enlarged end portions which can be inserted in the support through the enlarged portions of the slots and then moved upwardly to engage the narrow slot portions so that the spring then retains the'loops in engagement with the support.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key retainer in accordance with the invention and showing a key retaining loop for engagement with the support,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along the line 2-2 thereof and with the key retaining loop in engagement with the support,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the first step for removing a key loop from the support, and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing the final step for removing the key loop from the support.

The key retainer in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated hollow support generally denoted by the numeral and having a depending flange 11 for fastening the support to a case 12 by means of rivets 13 or other suitable fastening means. The key retaining loop is denoted by the numeral 14 and includes a large loop portion 15 terminating in an enlarged balllike portion 16. While the support 10 illustrated in the drawings includes four slots 17 for receiving and holding the loops 14, it is understood that the support may have any desired number of slots.

The support 10 includes a back member 18 of which the flange 11 forms a part, a downwardly sloping top 19, a front 20 having a rounded portion 21 and a straight portion 22, and an inclined bottom 23. Each slot 17 has a narrow portion 24 extending from the top wall 19 about the rounded front portion 21 and terminating in an enlarged opening 25 in the bottom portion 22 of the front wall 20. The width of each slot portion 24 is largeenough to slidably receive the neck 15 of the loop 14 while the enlarged opening 25 is adapted to slidably receive the ball-like member 16.

An inverted U-shaped spring 26 is disposed within the support and generally extends throughout the length of the support though it is merely essential that it extend beyond the end slots in the support. The spring includes a bottom portion 27, an upright portion 28 lying flat against ehe wall 18, a rounded upper portion 29 urged tightly against the wall 19, and a depending portion 30 overlying the slot portions 25. Since the depending portion 30 of the spring firmly engages the front wall portion 22, the key loops 14 are securely held in position on the support as shown in FIG. 2.

Removal of a loop 14 from engagement with the support 10 is effected in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3 it will be observed that key loop 14 is held in a position extending outwardly from the support and is then urged inwardly to forcibly move the depending portion 30 of spring 26 to the rear. The ball 16 is then moved downwardly as shown in FIG. 4 to permit removal of the key loop. The reverse procedure is followed to reengage a key loop with the support. Thisarrangement is particularlyadvantageous in that greater effort is required to remove a key loop from the support than to engage it with the support. Thus, a key loop cannot be accidentally disengaged. The attainment of this advantage will be observed in FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, the ball 16 engages the depending spring portion 30 at about its mid-point so that greater effort is required to displace it because of the short lever arm. On the other hand, as shown .in FIG. 4, when a key loop 14 is to be engaged, the ball 16 is inserted through the slot portion 25 and therefore contacts the lower end of the spring portion 30. Since the lever arm is long, the spring portion 30 is relatively easily depressed to permit the ball to be moved upwardly to assume the engaged position as shown in FIG. 2.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent that alterations, modifications and changes may be made with-' out departing from the true scope and spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims;

What is claimed is:

' l. A key retainer comprising a hollow support having front and rear walls, said front wall including a plurality of slots with each slot terminating in an enlarged opening, U-shaped spring means within said support and having a deflectable portion spaced from said slots and bearing against the portion of said front wall including said openings, and key retaining loops each having a ball-like portion carried by a neck extending therefrom, said openings being greater in size than said balllike portions and said slots having a width slightly greater than the width of said necks, said front wall comprising an upper outwardly extending rounded portion and a lower portion spaced inwardly of and depending from said rounded portion, said rounded portion having said slots therein with said enlarged terminal openings being formed in said lower front wall porsaid front wall and being displaceable inwardly thereof.

2. A key retainer according to claim I wherein said support includes a top wall and a bottom wall, said one leg of said spring has a bottom portion extending outwardly and abutting the joinder of said bottom and front walls and'urging the upper portion of said spring against the top wall. 

1. A key retainer comprising a hollow support having front and rear walls, said front wall including a plurality of slots with each slot terminating in an enlarged opening, U-shaped spring means within said support and having a deflectable portion spaced from said slots and bearing against the portion of said front wall including said openings, and key retaining loops each having a ball-like portion carried by a neck extending therefrom, said openings being greater in size than said ball-like portions and said slots having a width slightly greater than the width of said necks, said front wall comprising an upper outwardly extending rounded portion and a lower portion spaced inwardly of and depending from said rounded portion, said rounded portion having said slots therein with said enlarged terminal openings being formed in said lower front wall portion, said U-shaped spring being positioned in said support in an inverted position with one leg of said spring lying against said rear wall and the other leg of said spring extending downwardly in spaced relation to the upper rounded portion of said front wall, the lower end of said other leg bearing against the lower portion of said front wall and being displaceable inwardly thereof.
 2. A key retainer according to claim 1 wherein said support includes a top wall and a bottom wall, said one leg of said spring has a bottom portion extending outwardly and abutting the joinder of said bottom and front walls and urging the upper portion of said spring against the top wall. 